


Linhardt of The Toilet

by kurikku



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurikku/pseuds/kurikku
Summary: With the help of his classmates spreading rumours about a certain toilet, Linhardt finds the best spot to nap. However, he doesn't expect someone brave enough to check it out.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Linhardt von Hevring/Lysithea von Ordelia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Linhardt of The Toilet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aprilsierra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aprilsierra/gifts).



> Happy birthday to my dear friend, April!

_Knock._

Linhardt jolts awake. He catches his book before it hits the floor. Its spine cracks from his grip.

_Knock._

His fringe slides down his face, veiling his wide eyes. There are shoes outside of the cubicle.

_Knock._

Blood oozes out from the paper cut on his finger.

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san, please grant my wish."

Everything is making his mind spin.

It's supposed to be just a rumour that no one would bother to verify, especially not someone who is afraid of it. Moreover, on this busy day of White Heron Cup, nobody's going to waste their time going to the washroom that far away!

His heartbeat pulses are louder than his thoughts. Perhaps he should've listened to Professor Byleth's advice on sleeping at the graveyard. Ironically, he won't die if he did.

Her shoes squeak and Linhardt wonders how he missed it earlier. A simple hypothesis comes to mind. He must have fallen into a deep slumber like all the other times he had since discovering this perfect napping spot. Although, it doesn't seem so perfect now.

Something doesn't sit right with him. For a classmate of her calibre to rely on a wish... curiosity gets the better of him.

Quickly, he wipes his finger against his pants, its dark colour conceals the bloodstains. Then, with a gulp, he opens the door, matching the voice to a familiar face now as white as her hair.

She hasn't screamed, yet.

"Lysithea," Linhardt scratches his neck. "You believed in that story?"

"L-Linhardt?"

Her eyes glazed over. Linhardt flinches at her clenched fists, covering his face on instinct. Still, he peeks through his arms. Despite her short-temper, she's a logical person. He should be able to talk it out with reason. He says, "It's just a baseless tale that Mercedes shared. I don't understand how it scared you when you've dealt with matters so much worse. The same goes for Ashe and Annette too. What's the wis-"

"Shut up!"

Sparks crack viciously on her fingertips. Without warning, his book is set on fire and he rushes over to the basin to douse it. By the time he calls out her name, she's already gone to report him for trespassing the ladies washroom.

* * *

Weeks flashes by and the year end without further contact with Lysithea.

Rain knocks against the window and the downpour almost lulls him to sleep. Amidst the tower of books, Linhardt tilts his head and peeks through the gaps. The faint yet distinct voice bombards Hanneman with questions at the door. Linhardt catches her looking around and their brief gazes are met with indifference.

"You're evil, Linhardt!"

Linhardt covers his ear as the other person left in the Crestology archive office yells. He grabs a book, putting distance between her shoved face. "Annette, I heard you for the 1st time and probably the 15th time."

"You're worse than Felix. Do you understand why I'm so upset?"

Annette puffs her cheeks. Normally, she would mind her business and join Lysithea's study session. However, ever since last month, nothing has ever seemed the same. Especially the previous week where security measures have been tightened once again. This time, gloom descends over the Blue Lions classroom. While Professors Hanneman and Manuela help to fill in, it doesn't feel the same without Professor Byleth.

"Uh... because I didn't help you with the boxes again?"

"No! Professor Hanneman was unable to procure another Candy Magic Volume 4! I wanted to read it for ages and yet, you hoarded and destroyed it!"

"I didn't. I'd been waiting for it too. I've you know that I couldn't nap in the library with the librarian screaming when Sylvain returned the mountains of precious books. Moreover, I wasn't the one who set it on fire."

"Agh, second! You hurt my friend! Professor Byleth was supposed to reprimand you about it but because of her father..." Annette throws a glance towards the rain. She presses her lips. "Well, I'm here to do it!"

"Friend? Can you be more specific?"

"Oh gosh, how many people have you hurt? I'm talking about Lysithea!"

"Oh, I didn't plan to disappoint her. It's only a rumour anyway. Nothing scientific to back it up."

"Linhardt, you're really a blockhead! Apologise to Lysithea soon or I'll tell Professor Hanneman not to entertain you!"

With Annette now out of his face, Linhardt puts down the book and rests his head on the desk. Closing his eyes to the sound of torrential rain, he slowly drifts off to sleep as memories wash over him.

Back then, Linhardt had just transferred to the Blue Lions. Napping there was certainly much easier than his former classroom. Although, certain classmates would still wake him up, notably the other transfer student, Lysithea.

Whenever there were thunderstorms, a group would clamour around Mercedes as she shared her tales, sending chills down their spines. During one of the sessions, Mercedes teased it might be real and was in Garreg Mach Monastery itself. Linhardt couldn't care less about the rumour. However, seeing Lysithea's frightened expression made him realise it's the perfect spot to hide and nap away undisturbed.

He supposed he was wrong about that hypothesis.

* * *

On the following Monday, Linhardt resigns himself to sit beside Lysithea in class. He shoots a glare at Annette who has forcefully exchanged seats with him so he can work on his amendments. He wishes his usual seat partner, Felix, would protest about it.

It doesn't help that Annette keeps throwing glances over her shoulder too. Linhardt scratches his chin and clears his throat. "Lysit-"

Lysithea silences him with a finger on her lips. Her eyes remain focused on the blackboard and the professor.

Professor Byleth has returned to class. Beforehand, Dimitri briefed the Blue Lions that she had looked better than before and Linhardt shuddered to imagine how she was before today. Although Linhardt is seated far away, he could see her swollen eyes. Her voice breaks from time to time, causing his classmates to squirm in their seats.

Nevertheless, the professor is none of his concern. Linhardt just needs to clear things up with Lysithea so Annette can get off his case. That way he can rummage the vault in secret. He can't nap, thinking of all the crest related objects in there!

Linhardt heaves a silent sigh. Lysithea doesn't bother listening to him, paying attention to Professor Byleth instead. Suddenly, the writings on the blackboard give him an idea. He writes in his book and pushes it towards her.

_'i know your secret'_

Lysithea glimpses at those words. No reaction. Linhardt continues writing.

_'about your crest'_

She clicks her tongue. Yet, still no bite. Taking a deep breath, Linhardt clings onto his hunch. He adds the letter _'s'_ behind the last word. Immediately, her eyes widen and her back straightens. She jots her answer underneath his words.

_'WHAT?'_

Now that he has her attention, he says, "Your two-"

Linhardt reels as Lysithea smacks her hands onto his mouth, drawing everyone's attention. Her cheeks flush and her mouth twitches. "I-I can't focus when your snores are so loud!"

"Linhardt," Professor Byleth's dry voice sends his stomach churning. "Stand up for the rest of the class."

The daggers from the Blue Lions classmates' gazes only makes it worse. Even the kindest person in the class, Ashe, is frowning at him! Still, Linhardt couldn't just let this be. Lysithea certainly would avoid him at all cost afterwards. This is his only chance to clear the misunderstanding! Standing, he writes on his book and shows it to Lysithea once more.

_'so it's true you have two crests'_

She draws a sharp breath. Her fingers tremble and her nails turn white against her quill pen. She stands up, shouting, "Professor, Linhardt is disturbing me about matters unrelated to class!"

Professor Byleth's shoulders fall. She points to his right and says, "Linhardt, face the wall until the class ends."

Not wanting to see his classmates' irritated faces, Linhardt closes his eyes as he makes his way. Unfortunately, he trips, knocking his head against the pillar.

* * *

His concussion has knocked him out for a couple of hours. With one hand, Linhardt clutches his head. With his other free hand, he covers his ear from Annette's reprimand. She has been following him from the infirmary, yapping non-stop. Currently, she blocks him from entering the Crestology archive office.

Linhardt sighs. At least the stench of blood doesn't follow him. Carefully, he pulls away from the loose bandages on his head. "Why did you leave your unfinished scores lying around?"

Annette wipes her hands against her skirt. Her pigtails bounce about as she shakes her head. "Sorry, but I didn't lose them on purpose! I thought I lost them!"

"You're practically waiting for Professor to pick it up for you."

"Excuse me! I don't want to hear that from you when you lost some kind of fishing bait in the library! Professor kept asking if Flayn lost it, causing Seteth unnecessary worry!"

"Shh," Linhardt shakes his head. "You're being too loud."

She tugs him by his sleeves towards the empty corridor, making Linhardt dizzier. "Hey! I don't understand how you can bear being in the female washroom just for a nap in the first place."

Linhardt gathers his bearings. At least none of them trips this time. "If it's the smell you're worried about, female washrooms are technically better in terms of hygiene."

"Ugh, Linhardt! Besides, I told you to apologise, not to make it worse! Where were your candies?"

"Candies? I'm not bribing a child."

"I didn't say that. Everyone knows she loves sweets! That would make her happy."

"I wasn't making it worse. I just confirmed she could be my test subject."

"That's it! If Professor Hanneman won't stop you, Professor Byleth will! I'm telling her about this!"

"Telling me what?" Speaking of the devil, Professor Byleth appears. She folds her arms. Her expression is unreadable.

Annette runs up to her, pleading. "Professor! Please talk some sense into Linhardt!"

She releases a sigh of relief as Professor Byleth bobs her head, gesturing Linhardt to follow her. Linhardt's chest falls. Why is he being dragged everywhere?

However, he doesn't expect them to enter the late captain's quarters. He stands outside, catching a whiff of a foul smell. Professor Byleth rests her hands on the window. Her shoulders fall as she pushes it open, letting the rays of sunshine in.

Linhardt steps inside and clears his throat. Somehow, he can breathe now. "So Professor, are you going to let me study your crest?"

"It's your behaviour regarding crests. It's long overdue."

She sits on the couch and gestures to the seat opposite her. He takes it, surprised that the couch is sinking deeply as compared to hers. She must've sat there many times, judging from his experiences in sleeping on them.

"So even you're going to lecture me on this."

"You're not treating us as people."

Linhardt blinks. "What do you mean?"

"You're talking to us as if we're merely crest test subjects." Although her voice remains dry, he can hear sadness laced in her voice. "We don't like that."

He scratches his head and plays with his hair tie. "I'm not born with empathy."

"Then what about me?"

Linhardt strokes his chin. While her expression remains unreadable, he recalls the times where she cracks smiles around her students. It's something so natural for everyone yet so difficult for the Professor. Her reddened eyes prove she could cry too. "... True. You certainly prove that empathy can be learnt."

She rakes her eyes across her father's room. Her grip on the hilt of her dagger tightens. "Understanding others will make it easier to talk and work with them. Moreover, you can convince others about your crest research better this way."

"Alright, I think I understand. What do you suppose I do?"

Byleth touches her brooch. The corners of her mouth tip slightly upwards. "Give her space."

* * *

Following instructions or advice are rarely his thing. Linhardt has learnt long ago that one can either ask for permission or forgiveness in this world and the former is mostly useless. However, he has decided to listen to the Professor and thus, giving Lysithea space.

Linhardt doesn't disturb her nor does he create any trouble for her to confront him with. As he watches her retreating figure, he realises he can't stop looking out for her. Even when in places she won't be around, his eyes search for the familiar white long hair.

As they get separated from the inevitable Empire's attack, he can't stop thinking about her. Sweets of any variation always lead back to her. Perhaps if he has listened to Annette too in giving her some, he wouldn't be stuck in this plight.

He finds himself reading up on books to understand the reasons why she lingers on his mind with most of them end up being romance novels, claiming she has knocked him off his feet. He couldn't understand them well, but he comes to a conclusion. It's either guilt or love.

Or perchance, both.

* * *

Five years later, Linhardt finally returns to the monastery for the promised reunion. The whole monastery is in shambles and unfortunately, that includes the library. As luck has it, both Linhardt and Lysithea have volunteered to clean up their favourite place.

Everyone marvels at the miracle of Professor Byleth's return. However, Linhardt thinks the true miracle would be reuniting with Lysithea. While she has grown taller and dons herself in purple tones, she remains the same in his eyes — a mystery. It would be a lie if he doesn't have words for her. In fact, he has so much, he could write a volume of books about his imaginary conversations with her.

Moreover, it seems that she's deliberately avoiding him. Lysithea doesn't spare a glance at him, tending to the debris as far away from him as possible. Seeing that she is struggling to reach for a book, Linhardt stands behind her and grabs it. He relaxes from the familiar scent of sweets. However, it seems to do the opposite effect on her.

Linhardt says, "I know this is the library but I can't keep quiet about this any longer."

Her voice pitches higher than usual. "Linhardt?"

He places his hands against the bookshelves, trapping her. "Please face me."

Reluctantly, she turns around. She's smaller than he remembered, although her frown is exactly how he envisions it to be. "What is it?"

"I know what you want to wish for. You want to remove the crest that's implanted on you."

She casts her eyes away. "... Is this another trick?"

"That is the only logical explanation I could think of in the past years."

"You have been thinking since then?"

"Yes," he leans forward. Their foreheads are almost touching. "I care about you."

She gasps, frozen once more. Her cheeks tint pink like her eyes. "You care about me? Since when?"

Incoherent words threaten to spill on his lips. He isn't sure exactly when he has started caring about her. During the last five years? Or during their academy days? Furthermore, not having an answer troubles him. Masking his uneasiness, he diverts the conversation with another opinion. "Although, I wouldn't remove the two crests if I were you."

Her frown returns. She exhales, muttering, "You don't know what I've gone through! All the experiments and trauma that have stolen my siblings and shortened my life... You're completely lacking in empathy so, of course, you would make such a crass and foolish assumption."

"Lysithea, I don't me-"

'Knock it off!" Lysithea pushes him away and he falls. As she looms over him, he can't help but notice her whole body trembles. "This is a library, you have the right to remain silent."

* * *

Has Lysithea hated him entirely now? Has he learnt nothing for the past years? Couldn't he learn empathy like Professor Byleth who seemed to have learnt it in the spans of months?

Linhardt lifts his hands up. His palms are no longer reddened but the pain from the fall lingers. He surveys his fingers too, suddenly recalling the paper cut from the burnt book long ago.

Her words echo in his mind, tugging his heartstrings. While Linhardt wants to learn more about her, prying into her history doesn't seem like the way to do it. Invading her privacy wouldn't be what Professor Byleth wanted too. Deep inside, he's sure he doesn't want to hurt her.

"Oi, if you're just lazing around, be my spar partner."

Napping in the training grounds doesn't seem like a good idea in hindsight. Linhardt squints at Felix. The latter has cleared the training halls up and wastes no time training. In fact, cleanliness is why Linhardt is here. He would love to nap in his own room if it wasn't dirty.

"I'm training in my own way. I have to resume my battle with the boss in my nightmare."

"Annette did warn me about you."

"Uh, we were in the same class for almost half a year."

Linhardt rolls away with his back facing Felix. Strangely, the stench of sweat gets stronger. By the time Linhardt opens his eyes, Felix has thrust his sword into the ground right in front of him. Linhardt swallows audibly, watching his pale reflection on it.

Felix says, "Annette has been singing about you being a jerk."

Remaining poised, Linhardt closes his eyes. "She sings?"

"Pick up your blade."

"I don't wish to partake in this." There's already enough bloodshed outside of battle. The thought of having to fight his current comrades and former friends, especially Caspar, in the future sends his mind spinning. "Why don't you find Dimitri instead?"

"Impossible. At that state that boar will only get himself killed, and you're getting yourself killed with this weak mentality of yours. This is the world that we live in."

"... And yet, she wants to live in this world."

"What?"

"Why struggle to survive when this cycle of never ending violence won't cease? Why suffer?"

To be honest, Linhardt doesn't understand the effort people go through to live another day. Peace seems to be easily broken and out of sight as the never ending thirst for power makes it all for naught. No one seemed to be learning from history. An eternal slumber seems less tiring for him. Yet, Lysithea resents her shortened lifespan, wanting her stolen time back. What does she see that he doesn't?

"Hmph. If I die then I can't hear her singing anymore."

"... Annette's?"

Felix draws his blade, this time turning away from Linhardt. "Look. I'm sure you have tons of research you want to do. With war out of the way, you can do it without worrying much about your life on the line."

Dusk approaches, dyeing everything in a warm orange hue. Linhardt isn't certain whether Felix's ears are glowing red because of it. Nevertheless, even stoic and unfriendly Felix fights to protect others. Using his research to help and protect someone Linhardt cares sounds... really nice, especially when that someone is Lysithea.

"Thanks Felix. I know what I should do now."

"Eh, at least I can knock some sense into you, unlike him."

* * *

_Knock._

Linhardt clears his throat. He reaffirms his grip on the plates. They smell delicious.

_Knock._

Thanks to Annette and his research, sweets are really the way to this special two crests lady. These will surely make her smile.

_Knock._

All the efforts in securing the best pastries chefs in the heart of wartime to source high quality ingredients, employ advanced baking methods, and create these two pastries will certainly be worth it.

"Pastries?"

The door creaks open, and Lysithea cracks a wide smile.

Linhardt bobs his head. "I know you like cakes so I bought them for you. The best there is."

Behind her bashful pout, there's something cute about the way she tries to hide her excitement. He stifles his chuckles as she lets him in.

Linhardt sweeps his eyes across her room. Various books from the library are all over her desk. It's only been a week since they cleaned the library together too. Lysithea quickly puts them underneath her bed, making space for the pastries.

Once they are seated, Linhardt says, "I also know that you want to live longer and I want to help you with that wish of yours."

Her trinkets sway about. She asks, "... Huh? Why?"

"I care about you."

This time, she doesn't flush. Her brows furrow. "This again."

"I'm serious. I care so much that I wish we could be family."

"You... What? Is this another trick?"

"No. I want to live on with you in this world."

He casts his eyes onto the pastries. He wouldn't have gone such lengths for someone he doesn't care about. Him, the laziest person in the world, of all people. He has missed her for five years and the thought of losing her again doesn't sound appealing. If they are to become family, then that gives a valid reason for him to be near her, right?

She presses her lips, seemingly entertaining the thought of it. "Can I really trust you?"

"Why don't you try these sweets and see if I'm telling the truth for a start?"

In fact, he's already planning to get some oil later to lubricate her door. The sound must be unsettling for her. Ah, he does care a lot about her. While Linhardt may not be the rumoured ghost that could grant her any wish, he'll try because he wants to make her happy.


End file.
